Lead by Scottish Enterprise, the project has been enlarged following the failure of a feasibility study in 2001 into a 418m Scottish pulp mill (PrintWeek, 12 January 2001).

"We redrafted and revamped the proposition to look at other areas such as paper and packaging, rather than having one single goal," said Scottish Enterprise's manager for the forestry investment project, Andy McDonald.

A number of parties had also expressed interest in investigating the possibility of a pulp mill, and McDonald said these were now being pursued as potential investment opportunities.

The quality of wood available in Scotland also needed to be highlighted as a major benefit.

McDonald said in terms of good quality citrus spruce, Scotland and Russia were the only potential sources, which was a key issue.

Other project options include opportunities to upgrade equipment, change to alternate grades and combined heat and power (CHP) projects.

Scottish Enterprise has already engaged in dialogue with a number of companies, over projects that could come to fruition in the next two to three years.

Pulp and paper industry analyst Jakkoo Pyry has already undertaken an evaluation study.

McDonald said this time the industry had become much more involved and participated in more depth to the study.

"We hope this time the project will be more successful due to its broader remit," he said.

Story by Andy Scott